Gun play

[theatokos]

This is a post for all those born male and for mothers of males.

If you are a male, did you play with guns? Did you turn non-gun items into imaginary guns? Do you think this is something innate in males? If not, where did you learn this behaviour from? As an adult male now do you have any parenting perspectives on this, or advice for the new mama of a male?

For mothers of males, do your sons play with guns or have gun play? If so, at what age did this start? Does this bother you? If so, how do you discourage this? Any thoughts for a new mama?

Comments

[snowcalla.livejournal.com]

I didn't have toy guns in the house when J was little because guns are NOT toys. But he made a gun out of almost anything. I gave him dolls - they were hugged, cared for, shot, beaten up, "karate" moves practiced on. J's best friend was his female cousin. Given the same toys they played with them differently. J wanted to hit and smash and fight. Sarah didn't.

It didn't bother me. Why should it? As long as J learned to not hit others, not break things, to take turns and to share - why should I impose my will to try to change the person that he is? Why should I make my son a social experiment? And why should I try to associate "bad" with "gun"? Guns aren't bad.

I had the Annie Oakley outfit with toy guns.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Perhaps my wording of discourage made me sound like I'm afraid that gunplay necessarily equals bad and violent kids. I don't mean that, but I am interested in how others have navigated this issue. I am not afraid of guns, because I'm like you, guns aren't toys, you want to shoot a gun, let's go get a real gun and learn real gun safety. But I see a socialized aggression that is considered acceptibly expressed through toy guns. That bothers me. I do think B is going to need to learn about hitting, because he's like me and looooves to hit already. I think it's an outlet for enthusiasm.

I hope you don't think that I'm making my child a social experiment. Maybe I'm underslept and sensitive this morning (I'm most definitely underslept).

[snowcalla.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think you are making your child a social experiment. But some people do, and then they encourage others to do so. You know....their the ones that either brag about how they never let their child do X, while looking at your child doing X. Or they ask leading questions like, "You aren't really going to let your child engage in anti-social/violent/whatever behaviour, are you?"

Fuck, I hate those people.